Haidar al-Abadi, Iraqi prime minister, has rejected a call by Muqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi Shia leader, to dissolve a controversial militia, Hashd al-Shaabi, a Shia unit alternatively called the Badr militia, which was established in 2014 with the avowed purpose of fighting ISIL, also known as ISIS.

"The Hashd al-Shaabi … is for Iraq and will not be dissolved," Abadi said in the capital Baghdad on Saturday.

Hashd al-Shaabi has faced accusations of abuses against civilians in Sunni-majority areas.

Last month, the Iraqi army recaptured Mosul, the country's second-largest city, from ISIL, which overran the city in 2014.

Speaking to supporters on Friday, Sadr called for dissolving Hashd al-Shaabi and absorbing its fighters in the Iraqi army.

Sadr issued the statement after his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he held talks with the kingdom's leadership.

He met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah and discussed issues of common interest, Reuters news agency reported on July 30.

PHOTO CAPTION

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, met Sadr in Jeddah on July 30 [Reuters]

Al-Jazeera